Senators get their turn on Thomson

The federal opposition will use a five-hour Senate committee hearing today to trawl through the details of
Craig Thomson
’s defence in Parliament of his financial dealings as a union secretary.

It will also question senior officials of Fair Work Australia – including its new president, Iain Ross – over why it took several years to complete the investigation that prompted Mr Thomson’s statement to Parliament last week.

Justice Ross took over as head of the workplace tribunal only towards the end of the investigation into the national office of the Health Services Union, but he now has to deal with the fallout from an operation which FWA admits took too long.

Outspoken HSU leader
Kathy Jackson
argued last week that her enemies had resorted to a smear campaign directed at her partner, FWA vice-president
Michael Lawler
, even though his judicial role was separate from the tribunal’s regulatory arm that did the Thomson investigation.

But two HSU officials are understood to have complained to the former president of FWA,
Geoffrey Giudice
, that Mr Lawler had intervened in the union’s internal affairs by contacting them directly.

Mr Lawler is on extended leave until next month.

Opposition workplace spokesman
Eric Abetz
declined to reveal his line of questioning before the Senate committee hearings, but said that it would include the delays in completing the report.

“It would stand to reason that we would also look at how Craig Thomson’s statement to the Parliament marries with the actual findings of Fair Work," Senator Abetz said.

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FWA has confirmed that the officer who conducted the inquiry, Terry Nassios, is on leave and will not attend today’s committee hearing.

Senator Abetz said it was unacceptable for Mr Nassios to miss the hearing “other than for health or substantial personal reasons".

The FWA tribunal’s general manager, Bernadette O’Neill, has declined to respond to Mr Thomson’s statement to Parliament that he has done nothing wrong and to his allegation that the FWA investigation was flawed and biased against him.

She said in a statement that the 1100-page report “spoke for itself" and that the government had instructed solicitors to initiate civil proceedings in the Federal Court over its findings, which mostly dealt with Mr Thomson.

“These matters will be the subject of legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia and that is the appropriate forum in which to test the evidence and findings set out in the investigation report," she said.

Workplace Relations Minister
Bill Shorten
has canvassed changes to the Registered Organisations Act, which regulates trade unions and most employer groups, after the controversy over the HSU’s governance and financial dealings.

On Friday, Mr Shorten briefed the Workplace Relations Consultative Committee on draft legislation to improve the financial accountability and transparency of registered organisations, to increase penalties and to improve Fair Work Australia’s investigation processes.

He said after the meeting that the council had given in-principle support to the proposals and was looking to conclude consultation on the final details over coming days.